YFX September 2009 n.157

FEATURED STORIES

A national youth strategy for Australia: Planning underway

On 11 September, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that the Australian Government is currently ‘developing a plan for young Australians - with young Australians - so that all young Australians are safe, healthy, confident and resilient, with the skills and supports they need to build their own futures’. As part of this process, from Friday 11 September until Friday 25 September, Mr Rudd's blog is devoted to youth issues. To be part of this important conversation, visit: http://www.pm.gov.au/PM_Connect/PMs_Blog/Youth_Blog (Source: Prime Minister of Australia 2009, Helping young Australians to build their own futures, blog, viewed 11 September 2009.)

Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, September 2009

This issue includes a new feature for Youth Studies Australia. ‘Practice Notes’ will be an intermittent column devoted to articles of particular relevance to practitioners working directly with young people. The first of these columns discusses the pros and cons of various options for consultation with young people.

Feature articles in this edition of YSA:

1. Building a human rights youth justice system, by Paul Wyles
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.4-12.
   Summary: The Australian Capital Territory’s Human Rights Act 2004 and the establishment of an ACT Human Rights Commission have begun to create a human rights culture in the ACT. This paper highlights the influence of this culture on the design and build of the ACT’s new youth justice centre.
2. Civic participation through the curriculum, by Rosalyn Black, Helen Stokes, Malcolm J. Turnbull & Josh Levy
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.13-20.
   Summary: The ruMAD? (are you Making a Difference?) program encourages, educates and empowers young people to enact social change within their school and community. The authors use case studies involving two schools in highly disadvantaged areas of Australia to discuss the effectiveness of the program.
3. School students and part-time work: Workplace problems and challenges, by Erica Smith & Wendy Patton
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.21-30.
   Summary: The findings of a large national project on the part-time working careers of full-time students aged 15 to 24 challenge some widely held perceptions of large corporations that employ school students.
4. ‘Please sir, I want some more.’ Securing better pay and conditions for youth workers in Australia, by Michael Emslie
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.32-40.
   Summary: In this paper, youth workers’ pay is compared with general wage growth and the wages of those undertaking similar work, and a case is made for pay parity to attract and keep competent workers in the youth sector.
5. Why youth workers need to collectively organise, by Tim Corney, Robyn Broadbent & Lisa Darmanin
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.41-46.
   Summary: Recent attempts at professionalising the youth sector have focused on ‘codes of ethics’ and left pay and conditions issues to community sector unions. The authors suggest that the history of nursing in Victoria provides a case example of the benefits of combining professional aspirations with industrial organisation.
6. Indigenous youth and gangs as family, by Rob White
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.47-56.
   Summary: This paper explores the ways in which Indigenous young people experience gang activity as stemming from family membership and family obligations. Based on recent gang research in Australia, the paper provides firsthand accounts of what ‘life in the gang / life in the family’ means for Indigenous young people.
7. Parallels between on and offline youth participation, by Kirsty Leong, Luella Paine & Alex Hughes
   Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.3, 2009, pp.57-60.
   Summary: This short article is a transcript of a presentation given by policy officers from the Victorian Office for Youth at the My Space, Your Space, Our Space: Australia and NZ Adolescent Health Conference, which was held in Melbourne in 2008.

For Youth Studies Australia subscription information, visit: http://www.acys.info/journal/subscribe

For editorial inquiries, contact Sue Headley: Susan.Headley[AT]utas.edu.au

SEPTEMBER’S NEWS STORIES

AT-RISK YOUTH

Upcoming workshop: Nurturing the hidden resilience of at-risk children and families across cultures and contexts

This two-day workshop, led by Dr Michael Ungar, will be held at the University of Sydney 8-9 October 2009. The workshop will challenge professionals working with children, youth and families labelled ‘dangerous’, ‘deviant’, ‘delinquent’ and ‘disordered’ to better understand problem behaviours. Based on research with high-risk young people around the world, a culturally sensitive model of intervention that nurtures young people’s ‘hidden resilience’ will be presented.

Dr Michael Ungar is a social worker and a marriage and family therapist with over 25 years’ experience working directly with youth and families in child welfare, mental health, education and correctional settings. He is currently a University Research Professor and Professor at the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. For further information about the workshop, contact Rachel Payne, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney, ph: 02 9351 8520; email: r.payne[AT]edfac.usyd.edu.au; or visit: http://www.proflearn.edsw.usyd.edu.au (Source: email, 2 September 2009.)

CARE AND PROTECTION

AASW responds to recent child protection issues in Victoria

In response to concerns about child protection raised in the Victorian Ombudsman's recently released annual report, and revelations of a 30-year incest case in Victoria, the Australian Association of Social Workers has called for a greater investment in the training and development of high-quality child protection staff, as well as a focus on prevention of child abuse and early intervention.

Professor Bob Lonne, national president of the Australian Association of Social Workers, said ‘child protection is a responsibility we all share. Social workers within the child protection system, in hospitals, in juvenile justice, in education and in the community sector have vital roles to play to protect children and support families in need.’ The Victorian Ombudsman’s 2008-2009 annual report can be downloaded from the Ombudsman Victoria website: http://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au (Source: Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) 2009, Social workers part of solution to Vic child protection problems, media release, 18 September, viewed 18 September, http://www.aasw.asn.au/blog/latest-posts/media-release-social-workers-part-of-solution-to-vic-child-protection-problems )

Views of young people in residential care, Queensland, 2009

This new report, conducted by the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian, presents the latest findings of an ongoing study that is investigating the experiences and perspectives of young people in residential care in Queensland. Survey data from a representative sample of 221 young people were analysed to identify young people’s levels of satisfaction with various aspects of their residential care experience.

According to the survey, the vast majority of respondents felt safe and well-treated in residential care and satisfied with the care and support provided by residential facilities staff. Respondents were less commonly satisfied with: the support provided by statutory case workers, their participation in higher-order decision-making related to their lives in care, their sense of normality in care, and the amount of contact they were able to have with their families. The report discusses some of the policy and practice implications of the survey’s findings and proposes strategies for responding to some of the key issues of concern identified.

For more information about this ongoing study, contact Jenni Southwell, ph: (07) 3211 6876; email: Jenni.Southwell[AT]ccypcg.qld.gov.au.

To view the report, visit: http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/about/publications/reports.html (Source: email, 10 September 2009.)

DISABILITY

What teachers need to know about students with disabilities

This is the title of the latest book in the ACER Press What teachers need to know about … series. Written by Peter Westwood, the book provides a concise overview of a wide range of disabilities that have an impact on students’ learning and development, including intellectual disability, autism, Asperger’s syndrome, vision and hearing impairments, physical and health impairments, language disorders, emotional and behavioural disorders and other pervasive developmental disorders. The text describes the main features of each disability, the priority needs of individuals with the disability and effective methods for teaching these students. ‘What teachers need to know about students with disabilities’ aims to provide practising teachers, teachers in training and other school personnel (such as guidance officers, school counsellors and classroom assistants) with up-to-date factual information. For further information about this book, contact ACER Press, ph: 1800 338 402; email: sales[AT]acer.edu.au ; website: http://www.acer.edu.au/acerpress/

(Source: ACER Press, letter, 3 September 2009.)

Student disability enrolments analysed

Findings from several recent studies conducted in New South Wales have raised issues in regard to significant increases in the number of students with disabilities in government schools in the state. An analysis of enrolment trends in government schools in NSW, conducted by the Macquarie University Children and Families Research Centre, found that the proportion of students diagnosed with a behavioural or emotional disability in these schools increased from 2.7 per cent of total enrolments in 1997 to 6.7 per cent in 2008, with a corresponding 263 per cent increase in special education costs (from $290 million to $1.055 billion). During this period, overall enrolments in NSW government schools decreased by 3.7 per cent. Dr Linda Graham, one of the study authors, said that this ‘truly whopping increase’ in enrolments was due to an increase in diagnoses among the general student population rather than an extensive integration of students with disabilities into mainstream classrooms.

A second piece of research conducted by Dr Graham and University of Sydney researcher Dr Ilektra Spandagou found evidence that some government primary schools were pressuring parents to obtain disability diagnoses for their children while limiting the enrolment of students with disabilities in a number of ways. Dr Graham said that this behaviour seemed to be linked to the educational policy environment in which schools were obliged to work. (Source: Education Review, August, 2009, pp.1,4.)

DRUGS

2009 Kettil Bruun Society meeting: Episodic heavy drinking among adolescents

The next thematic meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol, to be held at the Concert Hall of Nijmegen in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, 10-12 December 2009, is now open for registration. The topic of the meeting is ‘Episodic heavy drinking among adolescents’. For further information about the meeting, visit: http://www.ru.nl/kbsmeeting/english/ (Source: Society for Research on Adolescence website, What’s new?, viewed 11 September 2009, http://www.s-r-a.org/whatsnew.html#piaper )

EDUCATION

Sexual health knowledge on the improve

The fourth National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Health, conducted by La Trobe University’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), found that secondary students’ overall knowledge of sexual health issues is improving. The survey also found that, compared with earlier iterations of the survey, more young people are sexually active, while the number of students who have had three or more sexual partners has also increased. Three thousand Year 10 and Year 12 students took part in the 2008 survey. Commenting on young people’s sources of sexual health information, ARCSHS researcher Anne Mitchell said, ‘Mum is the most popular source of information, followed by female friends, but sex education programs are still very well trusted and appreciated by students. They say they appreciate the information they get from schools.’ For further information on the survey, view the ARCSHS media release issued on 4 August 2009: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2009/article/4th-national-school-sexual-health-survey (Source: Education Review, August 2009, p.3.)

Indigenous Statistics for Schools

Indigenous Statistics for Schools is a new free resource offered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It allows students and teachers to access a range of data on Indigenous populations, education, health, housing and work. The resource is designed for upper primary to senior secondary school students. For access, follow the Indigenous Statistics for Schools link at: http://www.abs.gov.au/students (Source: Education Review, August, 2009, p.23.)

Education at a glance 2009

According to the latest edition of the annual Education at a glance report released this month by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), more and more young people will stay on in education because of the increasing advantages for the better educated and likely continuing high levels of unemployment as economies move out of recession. The report suggests that governments need to take account of these issues in planning education policies. Going to university pays dividends in later life through higher salaries, better health and less vulnerability to unemployment, the OECD analysis shows. In most countries, the difference in pay levels between people who have degrees and people who don’t is continuing to grow.

Education at a glance 2009 provides a rich, comparable and up-to-date array of indicators on the performance of education systems across OECD countries. The indicators look at who participates in education, what is spent on it, how education systems operate and what results are achieved. For further information, visit the OECD Directorate for Education website: http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2009 (Source: OECD Directorate for Education 2009, Education at a glance 2009: OECD indicators, media release, 8 September, viewed 17 September 2009, http://www.oecd.org/document/48/0,3343,en_2649_37455_43626864_1_1_1_1,00.html )

Year 12 completion and social exclusion

Data from stage nine of the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Life Chances Study has provided information on the educational experiences of 18-year-olds from diverse backgrounds. The study found that completion of Year 12 was strongly associated with higher family incomes, while leaving school before completing Year 12 was likewise associated with students from low-income families. Similarly, mean tertiary entrance scores were higher among students from high-income families. Brotherhood of St Laurence researcher Janet Taylor said that the findings ‘highlight the challenges for policymakers and educators wanting to increase Year 12 completion and optimise social inclusion in education. These include ‘investing’ to ensure affordable schooling that does not exclude those on low incomes, to ensure extra support for students with a variety of special needs, and to provide adequate income support for young people from low-income families (Youth Allowance) to allow full participation in education’. (Source: Brotherhood Comment, August, 2009, p.12.)

ETHICS

Ethics Advisory Service

The Ethics Advisory Service is available to all Australian Public Service (APS) employees who want advice on ethical issues in the workplace and on how to make sound decisions on these issues. They provide guidance on how to apply the APS Values and Code of Conduct and on strategies and techniques for ethical decision-making in the APS. Visit the website: http://www.apsc.gov.au/ethics/ (Source: Ethics Advisory Service website, viewed 18 September 2009.)